Wooden piles as a foundation in constructions
Considerable sorting is necessary to obtain good wood piles. They should be free of large or loose knots, decay, fractures and shakes. Bends and bends should be no more than half the diameter of the pile in the middle of the bend. Pile sweep must be limited so that (1) for piles less than 70 feet (21 m) in length, a straight line joining the midpoint of the butt and the midpoint of the tip does not pass through from the surface of the pile; (2) for piles 70 to 80 feet (21 to 24 m) in length, a similar straight line is not more than 1 inch (25 mm) outside the surface of the pile; and (3) for piles greater than 80 feet (24 m) in length, a similar straight line is not more than 2 inches (50 mm) outside the surface of the pile. The cone should be uniform from end to end.
Pile lengths are available in 12 in. increments. (300mm). Minimum tip diameter is typically 6 in. (150 mm), and the maximum stop diameter for any length is 20 in. (500mm).
Advantages of using wooden piles:
- Wood piles have an indefinite life expectancy when placed underwater or driven below the groundwater level.
- Wood piles are light
- In many areas, wood piles are readily available, relatively inexpensive, and easy to transport.
- Wood piles produce greater skin friction than piles of most other materials
Disadvantages of using wooden piles:
- attack by insects, marine borers and fungi unless treated.
- They have a lower resistance to driving forces than other types of piles and tend to break or chip while being driven.
- Wood piles carry a smaller load than other types of comparable size, which means using more piles and larger foundations.
